Heyerdahl's Ra II: Safi to Barbados

Heyerdahl's reed boats began as plants. The first boat, Ra, used papyrus reed obtained from Lake Tana in Ethiopia, the largest lake in the country and a source of the Blue Nile. Ra II, built the following year, was likewise made from Ethiopian papyrus. The sources do not say where on the lake the reed was cut, so the pin marks the lake as a whole rather than a single shore.

Location precision: The sources name Lake Tana but not the harvesting site; the pin marks the lake.

For the second boat Heyerdahl turned to Bolivia. Ra II was built by Bolivian citizens Demetrio, Juan and José Limachi of Lake Titicaca, and craftsmen from Suriqui on the lake helped on several of his projects. One reason for the choice: the raised stern, which had seemed useless to the Chad builders of the first Ra, was taken for granted on Lake Titicaca.

Location precision: The pin marks Lake Titicaca, where the builders came from, not the place where the boat was built.

On 17 May 1970 Ra II put to sea from Safi on Morocco's Atlantic coast, under the flag of the United Nations. The crew was almost the same as the year before, with Kei Ohara from Japan and Madani Ait Ouhanni from Morocco replacing Djibrine. The boat was overloaded and had to be lightened after a few days.

Location precision: The sources name the town of Safi, not the quay; the pin marks the town.

After 57 days and 6,100 km, Ra II reached Barbados on 12 July 1970. The crossing showed that mariners could have crossed the Atlantic by sailing with the Canary Current. Along the way the crew logged oil pollution on 43 of the 57 days.

Location precision: The sources name the island, not a landing spot; the pin marks Barbados.

The voyage ends in Norway. Ra II is now one of the boats displayed in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo: a vessel built of reeds according to Heyerdahl's perception of an ancient Egyptian seagoing boat.

Visitor guidance: Ra II is on display at the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo.